DNA technology led to her being identified as Jewell Parchman Langford
Ontario Provincial Police

A woman found dead in eastern Ontario, Canada, 48 years ago has finally been identified by Canadian police using technology that uses DNA for genetic matches. The woman was known for decades only as the “Lady of the Nation River”, after her remains were found on May 3, 1975, floating in the Nation River.

According to the Ontario Provincial Police, DNA technology identified him as Jewell Parchman Langford. Detective Inspector Daniel Nadeau said the 48-year-old was a well-known member of the business community in Jackson, Tennessee, US, and owned a spa with her ex-husband.

She traveled to Montreal in April 1975 and never returned home. “At that time, his family in Tennessee reported him missing,” Nadeau said. “Although I cannot go into the details that will go into the trial, I can say that the accused and the victim knew each other.”

Rodney Nichols, 81, of Hollywood, Florida, was charged with murder last year, but the charge was not announced at the time so as not to jeopardize his extradition from the United States. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. reported that Nichols has yet to appear in court and has not filed a response.

Police say her case was the first in Canada to use forensic genetic technology to identify a victim. Other methods of identification, including creating a close-up 3D facial shot of her in 2017, were tried but were unsuccessful.

The Toronto Forensic Science Center obtained a new DNA profile from the victim in 2019. The data was sent to a lab in California, where matches were made to two individuals in a DNA family tree. The DNA Doe Project, which works to identify victims in cold cases, said Ontario police contacted them for help and the victim’s DNA profile was uploaded to databases. genetic genealogy in 2020. The organization’s volunteers identified Jewell as a likely candidate a few weeks later.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Examiner Dirk Huyer said the DNA profile was used to help establish possible links between the victim and others. Samples were then obtained from the woman’s surviving relatives, including her nieces, Huyer said.

Police said Jewell’s remains were repatriated to the United States in 2022 and a memorial service and burial were held for her.